This is my last post on taking care of your brain with diet and lifestyle. My last tips include exposing yourself to sunlight first thing in the am. It can help you sleep better at night with a subtle influence on circadian rhythms. Sleep in a cool room (18- 24 Celsius) dark and quiet. Fast for three hours before bed and fast 12 hours over night because that allows for autophagy overnight (grand cleanup of your brain tissue. Avoid alcohol at night as that will affect the quality of your sleep. Try to cut off caffeine intake by 2 pm for optimal sleep too.

Dean Ornish, MD recommended the following supplements  to his trial participants for the 20 weeks so I thought I would list them here because they are readily available.  Nordic Naturals ProOmegaCRP- 2 capsules twice daily consisting of Omega 3 fatty acids 1680 mg, Curcumin 800 mg/day (both researched in improving cognitive function), Vitamin C 1000 mg/day, B12- 500 mcg/day, Magnesium l-threonate 144 mg Magtein- 2 tablets daily, Nordic Naturals – 200 mg Coenzyme Q10- 2 softgels daily, Lion’s mane- 2 grams/day Stamet’s host defense, Solgar-VM-75 without iron- 1 tablet a day, Flora Super Bifido plus probiotic- 1 tablet/day.

In summary, to keep things simple,  pay attention to six buckets to support your cognitive health: your mind/body approach basket, your exercise basket, your sleep basket, your social connection basket, your exercise basket, your nutrition basket, and your purpose and meaning basket. If you are interested in booking an appointment with me, you can go to www.robinvinge.com. Until next time, be well!

References: www.deanornish.com

I thought I would continue my post on taking care of your brain with diet and lifestyle. Dr. Dale Bredesen also recommends doing something you enjoy everyday and listening to music that you enjoy daily. There is some research that favors formation of beta-hydroxy butyrate if you do that. That favors cerebral blood flow which helps oxygenate the brain.

Do your best to reduce stress in your life. Stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system which is the rest and relaxation side of the nervous system is key. Focus  on purpose driven goals. My purpose as a naturopathic doctor is to provide assistance to improve people’s health. That is why I am providing this information.

In terms of nutrition, the diet that is optimal for brain function is low in saturated fats and free of transfats and processed foods. A focus on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, raw nuts and seeds, legumes and lentils was followed for twenty weeks. The diet was free of dairy and animal products. People that ate more vegetables did better that people that ate low vegetables. It is more optimal to eat vegetables that are non-starchy (green  leafy vegetables, asparagus. brassica family, tomatoes, cucumbers, parsley, etc) then starchy vegetables like white potatoes. I recommend people eat sweet potatoes or purple potatoes if they are really wanting a starch fix.

Eat 7 different colors of plants daily. Eating more plants cuts down on a whole lot of inflammation coming in to your body from animal foods. Animal foods then to be higher in fat in the first place and often higher in toxins especially fish from polluted oceans. It is recommended to eat meat once per week versus every day. Limit wild sources of fish to one time a week.

A low glycemic diet in terms of carbohydrates is optimal. Cutting down or eliminating sweets is best for brain function. Focusing on good fats found in avocado and olives and avoiding fast foods or fried foods are ideal strategies to maximize brain function. Eating more plants as a goal for your nutrition is paramount.

Avoid toxins that you can control in your food, air, water, heavy metals, plastics, cans. I always urge patients to eat organic when it comes to the dirty dozen vegetables and eat nonorganic when it comes to the clean green list. Check out the Environmental working group website which is a great resource ewg.org

For more information, check out www.deanornish.com or The End of Alzheimer’s  by Dale Bredesen, MD or any books by Dean or Ayesha Sherzai, MD- both experts on the brain. Until next time, be well. If you want to book an appointment with me go to www.robinvinge.com

I gave a lecture on Improving Brain Function with Diet and Lifestyle on Thursday night at the Prince of Peace facility just outside of Calgary. Seeing as the material is still fresh in my brain, I thought I would write a blog about it. Apparently more than 650,000 people in Canada have dementia and that number is predicted to rise at a staggering rate. Women tend to me affected even more than men as they tend to be the caregivers for other loved ones that need aid. What can we do to offset the risk? 

I just read Undo It by Dean Ornish, MD. He writes about how simple lifestyle changes can reverse  most chronic diseases. If you go to his website, you can read his research on improving cognitive function using diet and lifestyle changes. I will write a summary of what I have learned from reading his research. The factors that can help offset risk include

Exercising for 30 minutes 5-6x/week. Even simply walking at a brisk pace for 25 minutes has been shown helpful to preserve brain function, It is also recommended that strength training three times to five times a week can help you. If you build strength in your legs, it can help improve brain function. After all. exercise increases brain derived neurotrophic factor-miracle grow for the brain. It helps grow the hippocampus which is involved in memory storage and processing. Exercise creates new neurons and protects neurons. Exercise improves insulin sensitivity which is so important for preserving brain function. Regulating glucose preserves brain function.

A beautiful woman came to my lecture and she was 93. She was moving well, alert and excited to be at my lecture. I asked her what was her secret for aging so well. She told me that she walked three times daily. Why did that not surprise me? It just confirmed to me how important exercise is to preserving brain function.

Exercise increases gene programs to suppress inflammation. It improves mood by increasing dopamine and serotonin. Starting a walking group amongst friends can improve connectivity to others which helps improve consistency and ward off social isolation ( a known risk factor for dementia).

Exercise improves quality and duration of sleep. Sleep is one of the things that is needed to be helpful for improving brain function. It is recommended that you get 7 to 9 hours of sleep nightly. Sleep in a cool room (18-24 C, dark room, quiet) for best results. Try to keep a regular sleep wake pattern. I go to bed at 10 pm and get up at 6 am to stay at optimal health.

The glymphatic system is active at night. It works all night ‘housecleaning’ the brain, removing wastes to make sure the brain is operating at its highest capacity during the day.

One thing that I learned from Dr. Ornish’s recommendations are to take one hour out of your day for relaxation. He recommends doing yoga or stretching exercises, breathing exercises, meditation. 

Meditation is fantastic for the brain. It can increase stem cells in the brain, helping to repair the brain. It helps reduce cortisol improving memory retention and sleep. There are plenty of free meditations on youtube.com. Mindfulness meditations can improve mood and a sense of well being. Dale Bredesen, a known expert on the brain, recommends meditating for thirty minutes daily. 

The reason for this is it will trigger more of the parasympathetic nervous system (rest and relax) vs the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight) which is where 80% of North American culture spends there time in. We need to stress less to improve brain function.

Another thing that can help with lowering cortisol (the stress hormone) is generating more oxytocin in your system. You can increase oxytocin by cuddling with pets of your loved ones. That is enough information for Part One. Remember consistency and discipline do so much for health. Until next time, be well.   Dr. Robin Vinge, Naturopathic Doctor

References: www.deanornish.com, Alzheimer’s The Science of Prevention On Line Series 2023